This invention relates to an outboard motor and more particularly to an improved power head structure for an outboard motor.
As is well known, outboard motors include a power head in which the powering internal combustion engine is contained within an outer protective cowling. The protective cowling is provided so as to insure protection of the engine from the water in which the motor operates. However, it is desirable, if not essential, that the protective cowling be constructed in such a way so as to afford access to the engine for servicing and other reasons. One form of protective cowling employs a lower tray to which the internal combustion engine is affixed and a main, upper cover portion that is detachably connected to the tray and which has an inverted cup shape. Although such arrangements offer free access to the engine when the main cowling portion is removed, the size and bulk of the cowling makes it difficult to remove when the motor is attached to the transom of a watercraft and when attempting to service the engine in the water.
It has also been proposed to empoloy an outer cowling of the type wherein the cowling members are hinged together so as to afford access without necessitating complete removal of one of them. Such arrangements of the type heretofore proposed have, however, several disadvantages. For example, it is difficult to insure good sealing of the various cowling members because of the material from which they are formed. Also, it has been proposed to employ an internal frame structure for supporting the cowling members and this frame structure itself retards or impedes access to the components of the engine to be serviced.
It is, therefore, a object of this invention to provide an improved power head structure for an outboard motor.
It is another object of this invention to provide a power head structure for an outboard motor wherein the cowling affords easy access to the enclosed engine and yet wherein good sealing may be accomplished and ease of opening is insured.
Since an outboard motor is attached directly to the transom of the watercraft and since it contains an internal combustion engine which generates a number of vibrations of different magnitudes and different types, it is desirable to provide some arrangement for insuring that these vibrations will not be transmitted to the occupants of the watercraft. One way in which this may be done is by mounting the engine and/or outboard motor in a resilient manner relative to the watercraft. Although a variety of devices have been proposed to achieve this result, they have not been truly effective in isolating vibrations or, alternatively, they have been so complicated as to make servicing of the engine and its mounting difficult.
It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for resiliently suspending the internal combustion engine of an outboard motor.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved suspension arrangement for the internal combustion engine of an outboard motor wherein the damping arrangement is located at an optimum position with respect to the engine.